With the development of computer technologies, Internet technologies and communications technologies, nowadays people can communicate with each other anywhere, anytime by using various instant messaging applications, social applications, mail applications and communications applications. Moreover, people can conduct a variety of operations such as online transaction and use of network hard disk drives by using various other applications. Therefore, a user terminal can be provided with a large number of applications, and a user typically needs to memorize a large quantity of account information required for user authentication associated with a user account, such as user names, passwords, and other account-related information.
As a result, a user may forget some account information such as a password associated with a user account. In such a scenario, usually the user is prompted to go through a known password-retrieving method, which typically includes: the user sending a request to retrieve the password by providing a user name, a server automatically sending the password to an email account or a mobile phone associated with the user name, and the user retrieving the password from the email account or mobile phone.
Such a process for retrieving lost passwords, however, is insecure because email accounts and mobile phones are typically vulnerable to hacking. Thus, a need exists for a method, apparatus and system that can securely manage user accounts and retrieve lost account information.